The past participle tense of 'frighten' is frightened.
The past participle form of a verb is used in several ways in English grammar. For the verb 'frighten', 'frightened' is its regular past participle form, which is created by adding '-ed' to the base form.
Understanding Past Participles
A past participle is a non-finite verb form that can be used:
- To form perfect tenses: These tenses describe actions completed at some point.
- Example: I have frightened many birds with my loud music. (Present perfect)
- Example: She had frightened the child before realizing her mistake. (Past perfect)
- To form the passive voice: This structure emphasizes the action's recipient rather than the performer.
- Example: The dog was frightened by the sudden thunder. (Passive voice)
- As an adjective: It describes a noun.
- Example: The frightened cat hid under the bed.
- Example: He had a frightened look on his face.
Forms of the Verb 'Frighten'
To illustrate, here's a table summarizing the main forms of the verb 'frighten':
| Verb Form | Example |
|---|---|
| Base Form | frighten |
| Past Simple | frightened |
| Past Participle | frightened |
| Present Participle | frightening |
| Third Person Singular | frightens |
Practical Examples of 'Frightened'
Let's look at more detailed examples of 'frightened' in different contexts:
- In a perfect tense:
- "They have frightened away all the pigeons from the roof." (Present Perfect)
- "By the time we arrived, the noise had frightened everyone in the house." (Past Perfect)
- In the passive voice:
- "The children were frightened by the loud bang."
- "He was frightened into confessing the truth."
- As an adjective:
- "A frightened rabbit darted across the path."
- "Her eyes were wide with a frightened expression."
Understanding the different uses of 'frightened' helps in constructing grammatically correct and meaningful sentences, whether describing a completed action, an experience, or a state of being.
